Defending champion Karna Kadur (ARKA Motorsports), Gaurav Gill and Amittrajit Ghosh (from Team Mahindra Adventure) will look forward to begin the season with a bang in the first round of the MRF Rally of Coimbatore at the Kethanur Windmill farm near Palladam here on Sunday.
“Last year my car broke down so I couldn’t be among the top contenders. That’s in the past but now I am ready and raring to go. We have new car set-ups from the next round which will make the cars faster and so a lot more exciting for us,” said Gill, the two-time APRC champion.
As for Kadur, he will be competing for a new team this season. “I will need some time to get the car into the groove. But I am feeling good and confident,” he said.
Ghosh, the two-time INRC champion, said he was a little rustic. “I hadn’t been in a rally car for seven months but I will get into my rhythm soon.”
FMSCI head Akbar Ebrahim said the new rally season will be highly competitive.
“We have close to 35 teams, which is a very good start, and we have six rounds as well, which will test the drivers a lot more.”
This year, the stage layout has been changed. “We have created artificial jumps to make it a bit exciting,” said J. Prithviraj, the Clerk of the Course.
Interestingly, for the first time the promoters will be hosting a round in Arunachal Pradesh, backed by Arunachal Tourism.
Another first in Indian motorsports is the use of an air ambulance to cope with any emergencies.
